Published: Friday, November 16, 2012 at 6:49 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, November 16, 2012 at 6:50 p.m.

Just in time for the holidays, the Antiquarian Society of Gadsden on Friday got a crash course in Party Giving 101 by author Danielle Rollins of Atlanta.

Rollins is a contributing editor to “Veranda” and “Southern Living” magazines, and is lifestyle editor for www.luxecrush.com. She shared the themes and secrets to 16 parties from her first book, “Soiree: Entertaining with Style,” as well as tips to help make parties successful.

She said the first printing of her book sold out in six weeks and is being reprinted.

“When you’re entertaining think of something you really love and pull it in for other people,” she said.

Rollins said she likes to use different elements over and over, and also uses items she has in her house.

“I try to reuse, reinvent and recycle as much as I can,” Rollins said, “I don’t throw anything away, and I use things for different purposes all the time other than what they’re intended to.”

She pointed out one photograph of a pink tablecloth she said was a shower curtain.

“And you can’t see the rings on the other side,” she said.

In party planning, Rollins advised, “Don’t think you have to stick with one perfect plan, because things do change and learn to adapt.”

She said hospitality truly is in Southerners’ genes and said entertaining is about creating memories.

Rollins said she began considering doing the book at a time when her daughter was going through more than 100 surgeries after her leg was crushed by a four-wheeler.

She said hospitality is “really what makes us get through hard times, as well as good times.”

Rollins said entertaining is “not something that you have to do to be perfect, but it’s more of a sense of creating a sense of memory and a sense of tradition and marking our lives through these things.”

She said personalizing is what makes everything special and unique.

“You’re inviting people to your home to see you and don’t worry about if you’re doing everything perfectly because they want to be there to see how you do things,” she said. “Use your own personal flair, find things that make you feel special and share them with other people. It’s not what you serve it’s how you serve it, it’s not what you do it’s how you do it.

“It’s really about connecting with our friends and taking that special moment to just let people know that you care about them that’s the most important aspect of any entertaining,” she said.

Rollins in an interview said her philosophy of party giving was that it was important to be relaxed and “to create a sense of inviting people over to give them the gift of yourself.”

<p>Just in time for the holidays, the Antiquarian Society of Gadsden on Friday got a crash course in Party Giving 101 by author Danielle Rollins of Atlanta.</p><p>Rollins is a contributing editor to “Veranda” and “Southern Living” magazines, and is lifestyle editor for www.luxecrush.com. She shared the themes and secrets to 16 parties from her first book, “Soiree: Entertaining with Style,” as well as tips to help make parties successful.</p><p>She said the first printing of her book sold out in six weeks and is being reprinted.</p><p>“When you're entertaining think of something you really love and pull it in for other people,” she said.</p><p>Rollins said she likes to use different elements over and over, and also uses items she has in her house.</p><p>“I try to reuse, reinvent and recycle as much as I can,” Rollins said, “I don't throw anything away, and I use things for different purposes all the time other than what they're intended to.”</p><p>She pointed out one photograph of a pink tablecloth she said was a shower curtain.</p><p>“And you can't see the rings on the other side,” she said.</p><p>In party planning, Rollins advised, “Don't think you have to stick with one perfect plan, because things do change and learn to adapt.”</p><p>She said hospitality truly is in Southerners' genes and said entertaining is about creating memories.</p><p>Rollins said she began considering doing the book at a time when her daughter was going through more than 100 surgeries after her leg was crushed by a four-wheeler.</p><p>She said hospitality is “really what makes us get through hard times, as well as good times.”</p><p>Rollins said entertaining is “not something that you have to do to be perfect, but it's more of a sense of creating a sense of memory and a sense of tradition and marking our lives through these things.”</p><p>She said personalizing is what makes everything special and unique.</p><p>“You're inviting people to your home to see you and don't worry about if you're doing everything perfectly because they want to be there to see how you do things,” she said. “Use your own personal flair, find things that make you feel special and share them with other people. It's not what you serve it's how you serve it, it's not what you do it's how you do it.</p><p>“It's really about connecting with our friends and taking that special moment to just let people know that you care about them that's the most important aspect of any entertaining,” she said.</p><p>Rollins in an interview said her philosophy of party giving was that it was important to be relaxed and “to create a sense of inviting people over to give them the gift of yourself.”</p>